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¶ … alcohol and its consumption. On television, billboards, and in magazines, images of beautiful and exotic people enjoying alcoholic beverages mix with funny quips and skits that relate to alcohol. But are these images irresponsible? Do they promote alcohol consumption by minors and even alcohol abuse? I will prove that they do encourage minors to drink illegally by promoting alcohol in a manner than is particularly attractive to teens -- peer pressure.
In the interest of being brief, I will use only two specific commercial types: that of the beautiful woman who is attracted to a male drinking a certain beverage and the commercial that appeals to both sexes that is more of an entertaining advertisement for how much fun can be had when drinking. The first appeals directly to males, leading them to believe that somehow beautiful women are drawn to a certain type of drink. Teenage males are particularly susceptible to this type of message, as their hormones are at a peak level and their judgement had not fully developed from real-world experience. The second is more of a catch-all that is also particularly attractive to females; it symbolizes...
"Americans between the ages of 12 and 20 saw 45% more beer ads, 27% more hard liquor ads and 54% more ads for "malternatives" such Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Silver, than adults over the age of 21." (Wooley 2002) The simple fact that teenagers are more susceptible to peer pressure and societal pressures than their adult counterparts leads to the conclusion that if teens are subjected to more messages that "alcohol is cool," they will be more likely to seek it out.
Although bans on alcohol advertising have been ruled unconstitutional (Problems and Solutions, online), many cities have taken steps to prevent the general public, specifically minors, from viewing these ads. San Diego, Baltimore, and Oakland have all banned alcohol-related billboards (Scenic America, online). These cities believe that the fewer images of alcohol consumption are viewed by the underage public, the less that minors…
Bibliography
"Alcohol ad bad ruled unconstitutional," Alcohol: Problems and Solutions, accessed 08/26/05 at http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/InTheNews/UnderageDrinking/1093283849.html
Alcohol Billborads: assistance for communities in adopting ordinances, Scenic America, accessed 08/26/05 at http://www.scenic.org/Default.aspx?tabid=174
Wooley, Chris. "Study says alcohol marketed at underage youth," in The Hoya, 10-01-02, online at http://www.thehoya.com/news/100102/news7.cfm
Seeing more advertisements had a stronger effect on drinking than drinking had on noticing advertisements. The effect of alcohol advertising exposure on youth drinking was small and positive. The advertising effects were similar for the subset of underage respondents (Martin et al., 2002, 902 citing Snyder et (2006)." In addition to Snyder et al. (2006) other researchers have examined the impact of alcohol advertisements on underage youth. For instance, in
TV Commercials The role of advertising, especially television commercials, in influencing social lifestyles has long been a raging debate between public interests groups, government and industry. Critics believe that advertising imagery, coupled with television programming, preys on susceptible minds. Pro-choicers, on the other hand, point out that freedom of speech and expression constitutes a basic, inviolable constitutional right, and that advertising merely facilitates consumers to exercise choice in their lifestyle decisions.
Ethical Issues in Alcoholic Beverage Advertising Alcohol abuse is a known cause of domestic violence, violent assaults, and it is directly responsible for thousands of deaths on American highways and countless non-fatal accidents that account for billions of dollars in property damage and insurance claims (Moore, Jones-Webb, Toomey, et al., 2008). Alcohol abuse is also a significant factor in truancy and in juvenile delinquency despite the fact that alcohol consumption by
Dangers of Alcohol Advertising A growing body of literature shows that alcohol advertising is an important factor related to alcohol consumption among youth. Research has now established that alcohol advertisements target youth, result in increased alcohol consumption and add to morbidity and mortality. America's youth are overwhelmed with mass media messages. Today's youth is bombarded by not only apparent advertising but also hidden messages. The fact that the entertainment industry presents
Ironically, those opposed to smoking used the very same medium to help kill smoking in public places, restaurants, and even cars when children are present (as is the case in several states now). Smoking and tobacco products are a pariah now - no longer the universal symbol of cool, no matter how much money the companies spend on advertising. The alcohol and gambling industries, on the other hand, have clearly taken
Prevention curricula. Sometimes the content of these or similar curricula are delivered in other venues, e.g., youth clubs. (Strategies..., N.d., p. 5) Strategy Priority Level of Effectiveness School policies regarding alcohol use on school property or at school sponsored events (These policies are especially important in high schools, but are even more important in colleges and universities.) This strategy has been found to reduce substance use problems. Media literacy programs to make youth more sophisticated about